Get your kids interested in voting

Nov 6, 2018

As parents, a big part of our job is trying to raise our kids to be good citizens. That’s why we help them learn responsibility by doing chores, we show them how to get involved with the community by volunteering, and model treating others with kindness and respect. But another thing we do as good citizens is vote in every election, so we should be involving our kids in that as well.

Amber Coleman-Mortley with iCivics explains that if we hope to raise our children to be adults who vote, we should bring them with us to the polls during every election. She suggests we should start them young, in elementary school, and that we shouldn’t just show them how we vote, we should talk to them about who we’re casting our ballot for and why.

“Then talk about what happens if your candidate doesn’t win,” Coleman-Mortley says. “Part of being a good citizen is figuring out what you can do next.”

And if you’ve never taken your kids to the polls with you, today’s midterm election is a great time to start. Watching you vote could get your kiddo interested, especially if you let them hit the button to cast your ballot after you’ve made all your choices.